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New report on the militarization of outer space and commercial interests
As governments lean on commercial space systems for military advantage, private companies face an impossible bind, and the rules governing them are decades out of date.
A new report from the institute examines what happens when governments grow dependent on commercial space systems for military advantage.
Private companies are pushed into an impossible bind. They can enable one side and risk being seen as a belligerent, or deny access and potentially alter the course of a war. That dilemma raises a difficult question. When commercial assets become legitimate military targets, does attacking them constitute an act of war?
The rules governing these assets are decades out of date. As private actors become operational gatekeepers in space warfare, a dangerous policy vacuum has opened, with no clear legal or institutional framework to guide their actions or assign responsibility.
The line between commercial and military space has blurred, and the report argues it is time for international space policy to catch up.